A large number of semiconductor integrated circuit devices are built into a silicon wafer etc., then processed by dicing, bonding, packaging, and other steps to complete electronic devices. Such IC devices are subjected to operational tests before shipment. These tests are run in the wafer state or the state of the completed products.
At the time of testing an IC device in a wafer state, as the probe for establishing electrical connection with the IC device under test, one having a base part fixed on a board, beam parts with back end sides provided at the base part and with front end sides projecting from the base part, and conductive parts formed on the surface of the beam parts (hereinafter also simply referred to as a “silicon finger contactor”) has been known in the past (for example, see Patent Citations 1 to 3).
This silicon finger contactor is formed from a silicon wafer using photolithography or another semiconductor production technology, so it becomes relatively easier to handle the reduction in size and pitch of input/output terminals accompanying the reduction in size of IC devices under test. However, IC devices are continuously being reduced in size, so further fineness of the silicon finger contactor is desired.
On the other hand, in order to secure stable contact between the probe and the input/output terminals of an IC device, it is necessary to press the probe against the input/output terminals by a predetermined load or more at the time of a test. For this reason, there is the problem that if increasing the fineness of the silicon finger contactor while securing a predetermined load or more at the time of pressing, the tensile stress occurring at the roots of the beam parts becomes larger.
[Patent Citation 1] Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2000-249722
[Patent Citation 2] Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2001-159642
[Patent Citation 3] WO 03/071289 pamphlet